Head-rest for chairs.



J. RnETTER. HEAD BEST FOR CHAIRS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1910.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

WITNESSES- 7 INVENTOR; J

g ATTORNEY.

COLUMIHA PLANUGRAIII 1:0..WAs1lm1iTuN, 1). c4

JACOB B. ETTEB, OF CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA.

HEAD-REST FOR CHAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 27, 1910.

Patented Nov. 11, 1911.

Serial No. 579,238.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB R. ETTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crawfordsville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Head- Rests for Chairs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the type of headrest that is adapted to be universally adjustable, the invention having reference particularly to the adjusting apparatus and also to the bolster or that part upon which the head directly rests in use.

The primary object is to provide an improved adjustable head-rest for barbers chairs, and adapted also for use on invalids chairs as well as for chairs for other uses; a further object being to provide a head supporting bolster that will be adapted to afford comfortable support for the head by directly supporting a relatively large amount of surface of the rear portion of the head, and which will be adapted to be self adjusting to difierent sizes of heads, the underlying purpose being to permit the occupant of the chair to place his head in a comfortable position and then allow his muscles to relax so as to be restful, then allowing the barber or attendant to adjust the support so as to move the head to the desired position without moving the head with respect to the support.

A still further object is to provide an adjustable head-rest which will be adapted to be constructed simply and cheaply and not be obstructive to the operator working about the back of the chair.

The invention consists in an improved head-rest comprising a self-adj usting bolster, and a stem of novel construction for supporting the bolster; the invention consisting further in the novel parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair body including its back to which the improved head-rest is applied; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the headrest with the bolster approximately horizontal; Fig. 3, a perspective view of a part of the stem; Fig. {1, a top plan of the bolster devoid of upholstering; Fig. 5, a section on the line A A in Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a section on the line B B- in Fig. 2; Fig. 7, a perspective View of a part of the socket of the support ing stem; Fig. 8, a sect-ion on the plane of the line C C in Fig. 6; Fig. 9, a perspective view of the main part of the socket of the supporting stem; and, Fig. 10, a side elevation of the main part of the socket slightly modified.

Similar reference characters in the different figures of the drawings indicate corresponding elements or features of construction referred to herein.

In the drawings, numeral 1 indicates the body, and 2 the adjustable back of a barbers chair, the upper portion of the back being provided with a suitable retainer, 3, provided with a latch, 41, for adjustably supporting a staff, 5, with which head-rests are usually provided, such construction being well known and permitting the head-rest to be removed from the chair back, the stafi usually having ratchet-teeth 6 thereon to be engaged by the latch. For the purpose of the present invention the upper end of the staff 5 is preferably provided with a head 7 so as to be conveniently made separately from the other parts of the head-rest and attached thereto.

The improved stem preferably comprises a concavo convex main socket part 8 having a shank 9 thereon which has a shoulder 9 on its upper portion, the shank preferably having a coupling-head 10 thereon adapted to be'connected to the head 7 by means of bolts 11; or the shank may have a staff 5 formed integrally therewith of suitable de sign to be connected to such device as the chair backs may be provided with. One side of the socket part 8 has an ear 12 thereon in which are two rivet holes 13 and 13', and the opposite side has another ear 14:

thereon in'which is an aperture 15 to receive a clamp-screw. The upper portion of the socket part has a concave recess 16 therein. Another socket part 17 is also concavoconvex in contour and with the main part 8 constitutes a spherically shaped clamping socket, the part 17 being partially supported on the shoulder 9, and having an ear 18 thereon corresponding to the ear 12; the ear 18 having rivet holes 19 and 19 therein. The part 17 has also an ear 20 thereon in which is a screw-threaded hole 21. The upper portion of the part 17 has a concave recess 16 therein which is opposite the recess 16 so as to form a circular opening in the upper portion of the wall of the socket. The 'two ears l2 and 18 are secured together by means of two rivets 22 and 22 which firmly secure the two parts of the socket together at one side, and they are connected at the opposite side by means of a clampscrew 23 inserted in the car and having a collar 28 thereon engaging the ear 14, the clamp-screw being provided with a handwheel 24. A ball 25 is fitted properly and placed between the two socket parts and has a neck 26 thereon which extends through the opening in the top of the socket, and the neck has a head 27 thereon preferably provided with ears 28, 28.

A bolster of novel construction is provided, which comprises two wings 29 and 29 having hinged members 30, 30 whereby they are hingedly connected to the ears 28, 28 by means of a hinge-pin 31. The two wings are substantially shell-like in contour, the upper sides being concave so that the two wings together form a bowl shaped receptacle for the back of the head, being adapted to in normal position fit the contour of a relatively small head. The wings preferably have cushions 32 and 32 thereon respectively which abut one another in the plane of the hinge-pin so that the back of the head may be directly supported. A plate 33 is secured by a screw 34; or similar device upon the head 27, and it has two spring arms 35 and 85 extending against the under sides of the wing of the bolster to hold them in normal position, but permitting the ends of the wings to yield slightly and thus enable the bolster to accommodate itself to relatively larger heads.

In practical use, the wheel 24 is manipulated as may be desired, and when the ball 25 is held securely against movement through exercise of the neck muscles of the occupant of the chair, the barber or operator is able to move the ball in the socket so as to adjust the bolster as may be desired; and it is apparent that the clamp-screw 23 may be slackened so that the ball may be moved as easily as may be desired. The bolster therefore may be moved by the head of the occupant, if desired, and affords comfortable support for heads of various sizes.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is-

1. A head-rest including a supporting head, two concavo-convex wings hinged to the head and constituting an eXpansible bowl-shaped bolster, the hinged portions of the wings abutting each other, and two spring-arms mounted on the head in proximity to the hinged portions and yieldingly supporting the free end portions of the wings.

2. In a head-rest, the combination of a head member, two pivoting ears on the head member, two bowl-shaped wings hingedly connected together and to the said ears, a supporting shank on said head member, two curved spring-arms mounted on said head member and extending to the nearer sides of said wings and yieldingly supporting the free end portions thereof respectively, and two separate cushions on the two wings respectively, each cushion being on the concavely shaped side of the wing.

3. In a head-rest, the combination of a head member, a supporting shank on one side of said member, pivoting ears on the opposite side of said member, a hinge pin connected to the ears, a concavo-convex wing having a hinge member connected to the hinge pin, a concavo-convex wing having two hinge members connected also to the hinge pin, and a plate secured to the said head member between the ears and having two oppositely-extending curved springarms thereon, one spring-arm having its free end in contact with the convex side of one of the wings, and the other spring-arm having its free end in contact with the con vex side of the other one of the wings.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

JACOB R. ETTER.

Witnesses:

HARRY D. PmRsoN, E. T. SILvIUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

